2021-15543. Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-552); Comment Request; Extension

AGENCY:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on a renewal of currently approved information collection FERC-552, (Annual Report of Natural Gas Transactions), which will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.

DATES:

Comments on the collection of information are due August 23, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments on FERC-552 to OMB through www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control Number (1902-0242) in the subject line of your comments. Comments should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

Please submit copies of your comments to the Commission. You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No. IC21-25-000) by one of the following methods:

Electronic filing through http://www.ferc.gov,, is preferred.

• Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture format.
• For those unable to file electronically, comments may be filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery.

○ Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.

○ Hand (Including Courier) Delivery: Deliver to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.

Instructions: OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with submission guidelines at www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Using the search function under the “Currently Under Review” field, select Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; click “submit,” and select “comment” to the right of the subject collection.

FERC submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. For user assistance, contact FERC Online Support by email at [e-mail], or by phone at: [phone] (toll-free).

Docket: Users interested in receiving automatic notification of activity in this docket or in viewing/downloading comments and issuances in this docket may do so at https://www.ferc.gov/​ferc-online/​overview.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ellen Brown may be reached by email at [e-mail], telephone at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: FERC Form No. 552, Annual Report of Natural Gas Transactions.

OMB Control No.: 1902-0242.

Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC Form No. 552 information collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting requirements.

Abstract: The Commission uses the information collected in the FERC Form No. 552 ^[1] to provide greater transparency into the size of the physical natural gas market and the use of physical fixed-price and index-based natural gas transactions. This information assists the Commission and the public in assessing whether index prices are the result of a robust market of fixed-price transactions.

FERC Form No. 552 had its genesis in the Energy Policy Act of 2005,^[2] which added section 23 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). Section 23 of the NGA, among other things, directs the Commission “to facilitate price transparency in markets for the sale or transportation of physical natural gas in interstate commerce, having due regard for the public interest, the integrity of those markets, and the protection of consumers.” ^[3] The 60-day notice comment period ended on 7/12/2021 and the Commission received no comments.^[4]

Type of Respondents: Wholesale natural gas market participants.

Estimate of Annual Burden:^[5] The Commission estimates the average annual burden and cost ^[6] for this information collection as follows.

FERC Form No. 552, Annual Report of Natural Gas Transactions

Category	Number of respondents	Annual number of responses per respondent	Total number of responses	Annual average burden hrs. & cost ($) per response	Total average annual burden hrs. & cost ($)	Average annual cost per respondent ($) (rounded)
	(1)	(2)	(1) * (2) = (3)	(4)	(3) * (4) = (5)	(5) ÷ (1)
Wholesale natural gas market participants	688	1	688	20 hrs.; $1,702.60	13,760 hrs.; $1,171,388.80	1,702.60

Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden and cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Dated: July 15, 2021.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  FERC Form No. 552 is prescribed in 18 CFR 260.401.

2.  Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, sections 1261 et seq., 119 Stat. 594 (2005).

3.  15 U.S.C. 717t-2(a)(1)(2006).

4.  86 FR 26022 (5/12/2021).

5.  Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. Refer to 5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.

6.  Costs (for wages and benefits) are based on wage figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for May 2020 (at https://www.bls.gov/​oes/​current/​naics2_​22.htm) and benefits information (issued March 2020, https://www.bls.gov/​news.release/​ecec.nr0.htm). The staff estimates that 75% of the work is done by a financial analyst (code 13-2098) at an hourly cost of $66.09 (for wages plus benefits), and 25% of the work is done by legal staff members (code 23-0000) at an hourly cost of $142.25 (for wages plus benefits). Therefore, the weighted cost (for wages plus benefits) is calculated to $85.13/hour [or ($66.09/hour * 0.75) + ($142.25/hour * 0.25)].